Angelina Jolie pays tribute to Brad Pitt, her children and her mother at honorary Oscars

Angelina Jolie is moved to tears at the film academy's fifth annual Governors
Awards after she receives an honorary Oscar statuette for the Jean Hersholt
Humanitarian Award

8:22AM GMT 18 Nov 2013

The Hollywood film industry recognized Angelina Jolie on Saturday with a humanitarian award for her work with refugees and advocating for human rights through her film career.

The 38-year-old Oscar winner is a special envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and has made more than 40 field missions, including recently to help refugees fleeing the war in Syria.

Angelina Jolie received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Governors Awards in front of Brad Pitt and her son Maddox.

The 38-year-old actress-director became emotional as she thanked her late mother, whom she said inspired her to think of others and give back.

"To stand here today means I did as she asked," Jolie said. "And if she were alive, she'd be very proud."

The crowd inside the Ray Dolby Ballroom was like a who's-who of the upcoming awards season. Besides guests such as Diane Keaton, Octavia Spencer, Geoffrey Rush, Emma Thompson and Harrison Ford were stars of some of the year's most acclaimed films, including Michael B. Jordan of "Fruitvale Station," Idris Elba and Naomie Harris of "Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom," Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o and director Steve McQueen of "12 Years a Slave," Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto of "Dallas Buyers Club" and Amy Adams and director David O. Russell of "American Hustle."

The Governors Awards were not televised but portions of the ceremony may be included in the Academy Awards telecast on 2 March 2014.